BCP: Error Running BCP in SQL Server but not in cmd

Question

I am able to run bcp commands on the command line, but unfortunately when trying in SQL Server, I see the following error:

Error = [Microsoft][SQL Server Native Client 11.0]Unable to open BCP host data-file

This is the code I use in SQL Server:

EXEC xp_cmdshell 'bcp "SELECT ''col1'', ''col2'' union all select col1, col2FROM [kat].[dbo].[Table_Data] WITH (NOLOCK)" queryout ''C:\Users\kata\exportFiles\FirstTestOutput.csv''  -t; -c -T' 

Could it be an error with the quotes " ' "?

Many thanks in advance,

Kat

Answer 1

'xp_cmdshell' has to run as "someone". It doesn't run as you. It runs as the "SQL Server service account". That is an account set up in a the "services applet". By default it's an account that won't have rights to your personal folders. So you either change this service account to have more rights or you only use folders that it has rights to.